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Tuesday, February 2, 2016

About Asking For Help #ECET2

I spent time this weekend with some amazing educators from across the country. ECET2 was a great experience. I walked away with many different ideas I look forward bringing to my classroom and school. There was something that struck me while I was in the edcamp session.

The session was cool and set up mini sessions at tables. I was with Meenoo Rami, Pernille Ripp, and Ann Leaness. We thought it would be a good idea to do a session on literacy. I'm always looking for ways to encourage students to read and improve reading skills for all of my students. I asked one questions that led to a conversation filled with resources and great ideas, "What can I do to get my male students to read more?"

As I sat there listening to all of the great ideas that were being shared by teachers, I was struck at how long it took me to ask this question. I'm friends with some of the most amazing educators in the world who work hard on sharing literacy strategies. These are people I talk to on a regular basis. We chat education and anything else that comes to mind. Yet, with these amazing experts surrounding me, I never once thought about asking them for help. It really made me think about why.

It is so tough to admit not knowing something. It's tough to admit that there are things that I can be better at. It's tough to admit to yourself, much less put it out there on the Internet when you need support. As I work to be a better teacher in so many other ways, it can be tough to admit areas where I still need to grow. I find it weird that there are some things I choose to ask for help with and others I will keep hidden. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm an English teacher and I'm afraid to admit a weakness is that field, but non-English areas I feel it's acceptable to ask for support. It has given me something to think about.

As I look inward and figure all of this out, I hope to become better at asking for help from others.